Driver continues to pace the IndyCar field

May 13, 2016

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Simon Pagenaud looks like he’s going to run away with this Verizon IndyCar Series.

The series points leader who has won the past two races after finishing second in the two before that won the pole for Saturday’s Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis, nearly setting a track record on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Pagenaud’s lap of 1 minute, 8.6868 seconds in the Firestone Fast Six round gave him his second straight pole position and third of the season. He also had the No. 1 starting spot for the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Pagenaud’s bright-yellow Team Penske Chevrolet left behind an interesting group of pole contenders, including Charlie Kimball of Chip Ganassi Racing, who qualified a career-best second. They will occupy the front row (3:50 p.m., ABC).

Team Penske cars have now won the pole for seven consecutive races over the past two seasons.

Three Honda-powered drivers made the Fast Six: Graham Rahal, James Hinchcliffe and Jack Hawksworth. Rahal’s third-place standing isn’t much of a surprise -– he qualified sixth in the recent race at Barber Motorsport Park -- but Hinchcliffe had gone nine events in this qualifying format without advancing this far and Hawksworth’s drought had been 21 such races. Hinchcliffe and Hawksworth last made the Fast Six in 2014.

The drivers in this Fast Six represented six different teams.

The drivers not in the Fast Six were just as interesting. Will Power went through the grass in his second-round attempt, costing him a chance to advance. His miscue caused Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Dixon to similarly miss the Fast Six.

Andretti Autosport continued to struggle in qualifying, and its top starter is series rookie Alexander Rossi in 14th. Ryan Hunter-Reay will start 17th, Carlos Munoz 19th and Marco Andretti 21st in a 25-driver field.

Montoya and Alex Tagliani were penalized five minutes each in qualifying after continuing to drive around the 2.4-mile road circuit after the checkered flag.